Is Regifting Acceptable
At first glance, we would all say re-gifting is not an acceptable practice but secretly we have all done it. We have given a gift to someone that we received and did not either need or want. While I am not an expert on giving gifts or on what is acceptable regarding gifts, it would seem that re-gifting is acceptable.
We have all received gifts that were less than stellar. We act appreciative and say we love it when we really hate it. Then the gift goes into the back of a closet or into our basement never to be seen again.
Remember who gave you the gift
One of the worst things someone could do when re-gifting is to give the gift back to the person who gave it to you. This not only causes hurt feelings but it is incredibly tactless. Develop a way of keeping track of who gave the gifts as a way of protecting your re-gifting practices.
The only time that re-gifting to the original giver is when it is becomes a joke. A few years ago a friend told me that his brothers and sisters had a long standing joke of the family fruitcake. One of the brothers bought the fruitcake a few weeks before Christmas and gave it to one of the siblings. The exchanging would begin and the same fruitcake would be exchanged between the six siblings as a joke. Whoever ended up with the fruitcake on Christmas was stuck with it.
Know who will be at the event
When my wife and I got married, we had a surplus of drinking glasses from our wedding. Many times, we gave drinking glasses when we went to weddings. Those extra packages of drinking glasses came in handy. We have all been to weddings when we have given something we either did not need or did not want. The problem is that most of our friends and family go to the same weddings. Never re-gift when the giver might be aware. Again, this causes, hurt feelings, and is truly tactless.
Items need to be of a general nature
The sweater that your aunt knitted for you is not a good re-gifting item. The item needs to be general in nature. Specific items are often individualized for you and will not work to give to other people. Another pitfall with the personalized items is that they are easily spotted as re-gifts. Unless you know someone with the same initials, the monogrammed scarf is not leaving your closet.
Never re-gift something that is not worthy of being a giftThere are items that should never be re-gifted. A horrible gift is still a horrible gift no matter who gets it. If you value your friendships, you will not give them the kinds of gifts that would be relegated to the back of your closet never to be seen again. Re-gifting can be a positive thing and benefit others. For example, my mother is diabetic and often passes on gifts of chocolates or other sweets to members of the family. There are times when re-gifting is not only a good choice but the best choice.
